The father of missing airman Corrie McKeague has hit out at reports the police landfill search to find his son could turn into a criminal investigation.

It comes after his ex-wife and Corrie's mum, Nicola Urquhart, made an emotional Facebook update in which she claimed the police investigation will become criminal if her son’s body is not recovered at the Milton landfill.

Nicola, 48, said: “I have tried to wait quietly, patiently and remain positive that they will either find Corrie or get to the end of the search and find nothing.

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“I was told by police that if Corrie was not found in the landfill, this investigation would become a criminal investigation, which I agree with."

But Corrie's dad, Martin McKeague, 54, says his ex wife's views are contrary to the latest statements Suffolk Police who are spearheading the search to find Corrie's remains at the Milton landfill site.

"It is an insult to the memory of my son," he said in a Facebook post.

Corrie McKeague's mother, Nicola Urquhart (Image: BBC)

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"There is no evidence to suggest that Corrie is anywhere else but in that landfill site. And there is no evidence whatsoever of any criminality throughout this investigation. Any suggestion of criminality is a lie. The police have confirmed this."

Police are now 20 weeks into the search of the landfill site at Milton.

Through that time over 6,300 tons of landfill waste has been raked through and no trace of the missing gunner has been found, prompting mum Nicola to cast doubt on whether her son's body will ever be uncovered.

This is something which has angered Martin and his wife Trisha, who hit out at the media for "printing gossip, speculation and complete garbage".

In his latest Facebook post on Friday (July 20) Martin, who is a weekly visitor to the site, continued: "We’ve never doubted the reason that they’re searching in this place, and never at any point during that time have we speculated that Corrie is anywhere else but here.

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"Because doing that is the ultimate act of disrespect – like a slap in the face to the people who have given so much of themselves in the search for Corrie.

"I’m sickened every time I see these baseless speculations in the media about my son’s whereabouts, while the volunteers from the Suffolk and Norfolk police are sweating and toiling looking for my son."

Corrie went missing on September 24 last year following a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds.